The Lying Games
by Madam Pepper Potts
Summary: Meet Clarissa Casca, the granddaughter of the late President Snow. Katniss Everdeen has assassinated the last president of Panem and President Coin has taken over. She's issued the final Hunger Games with the Capitol children competitors. Welcome to the Lying Games. Disclaimer: I do not own the world of the Hunger Games and rights go to Suzanne Collins.


**Hi ya'll! I thought of this idea after rereading** _ **Mockingjay**_ **and seeing** _ **Part 2**_ **in the theaters, and I loved it! I realize this idea of having Capitol children has been used in many fan fictions since it was in the original book first, but it's an idea that really appeals to me and I have a lot of plans for! So I've decided to move forward with it since it's sparked my interest and I really need to write more! I'm very excited about exploring Snow's granddaughter's character and how a Capitol child is reacting to actually being in the Hunger Games instead of just watching it from the comforts of their home. Reviews and constructive criticisms are greatly appreciated. I'm still relatively new to the whole fan fiction thing, so wish me luck! :)**

 _A Hunger Games for the Capitol children._ I still can't believe they'd do this to us. It's been a dark time ever since Grandpa fell from power and died. Father, Mama, and I miss him terribly. When the rebels, who have now taken over the Capitol, announced there was going to be a seventy-sixth Hunger Games I thought it must be some sort of cruel joke. I've been watching the Hunger Games my whole life from the television set in the living room; but I never dreamed that one day I would find myself filling that screen while Mama watched fearfully. But here I am, waiting in a Launch Room below the arena in which I will enter in five minutes.

When I was picked to be in the Hunger Games and I found out the victors of the past games were still going to mentor us, I hoped and hoped my mentor would be Katniss Everdeen. I know it's silly, since she was the face of the districts' rebellion and is a traitor to us all, but ever since she appeared in her first games I loved watching her and was actually rooting for her the whole time. I was ecstatic when she won and fell in love with her and Peeta's love story. I blush, thinking about the handsome victor of District 12, Peeta Mellark. My friends and I all had crushes on him and wore our hair like Katniss.

My mentor is Johanna Mason and I am scared to death of her. I never knew Grandpa kept her in the Capitol after the Quarter Quell to torture her, but Johanna has filled me in on all the gory details every moment she's with me. I know more than I wanted to know about my grandfather's dark habits, and it also makes me question everything he's said and done. It doesn't make me miss him any less, though, especially his doting and frequent gifts.

The mentors are about the only aspect of pre-games rituals that we're in keeping with. President Coin and with her the assembly of district mayors and victors still living decided to do away with the stylists, Tribute Parade, training. They want to skip straight to the point of our death.

So I sit in the Launch Room by myself, unlike most other tributes before me, who at least had their stylists with them. I want to start crying but I promised myself, after all the crying I've done since I was forced into the games, I cannot cry in the Launch Room. It's time to psych myself up for what I'm about to enter into. I never really loved the games until Katniss entered and then they were interesting and I watched every night, eager to see what became of her. It's hard to believe that I'll be the one on the screen.

An automated voice fills the room. _All tributes proceed to enter the launch tubes._ I turn to see the white wall to my left shift and open to reveal a tall clear tube waiting for me. My hands are squeezed tight to the sides and I find myself chewing on a bit of hair from my braid. I even did my hair like Katniss had hers in the games.

I wait for a moment in the tube before it closes and begins to rise. A few minutes ago I thought I might start crying, but now I feel like throwing up. I think I almost do but then there's a whistling sound and I'm plunged out into the open air. It's as dark as it was in the launch tunnel but I can tell I'm outside, what with the wind viciously lashing the tendrils of hair around my face from side to side. I let my eyes adjust. Soon I can see the other tributes and me are all on our launch pods in a circle around the Cornucopia. The ground glows white, covered in snow. My first thought is that it will be slippery and that's why we have the traction on our arena boots. It must be twilight and that's why it's so dark. Most of the games usually start off during the day when it's still light out, but maybe they've got something especially awful planned for us. My stomach drops at this thought and I really am in danger of projectile vomiting.

I realize that we are situated in a large clearing in a forest, not unlike the arena in Katniss's first games. I look to my right and see Kristen Lucius. Her mother was my grandfather's closest assistant. My Mama told me that the new rebel government wants to punish the relatives of those who were involved with the torturing of the districts. Kristen and I aren't really friends, but Mama did force us to have many play dates as children. As I look around the circle of tributes waiting for the gong to free us from our pedestals, I realize many of them are familiar to me. Chaz Decius. The gamemaker directly before Seneca Crane was Chaz's uncle, who mysteriously fell down dead some morning after drinking his daily cup of tea. Elizabeth Lepidus, whose older sister was part of Cato's prep team. And there, five tributes away from me is Cicero.

The names of the tributes of this Hunger Games were kept under lock and key. The people didn't know who were going to be competing until now, and neither did us.

 _They're making me kill my best friend._ Bile starts to rise in my throat and Cicero's blonde head turns toward me just as the gong sounds.

I'm disoriented for a moment, as I watch Cicero spring from her pedestal and run straight into the mouth of the Cornucopia and out of my sight. Suddenly, I can see red on the snow. Everyone is fighting; I can hear to swords slamming against each other, a thump, a scream. I cover my ears and start to sink down on to my knees. Grandpa's face enters my mind and I can see him smiling at me. _Don't give up just yet, darling,_ his sort-of hissing voice croons in my ear.

Someone jabs my shoulder and I shriek.

"Clarissa! Get up!" It's Cicero. Her hair is wild and her face is white, but a cut runs down her cheek and it's bleeding. She hands me a knife. "We have to go to the woods."

She points towards the trees and begins running, trusting me to follow her. I take a last look at the bloodbath before me. Bodies lie frozen on the ground, and two boys stand above them. One of them I've never seen before but there is the unmistakeable outline of tall Chaz. I think he sees me and starts toward me, but I turn and light off my pedestal after Cicero faster than I've ever run in my entire life.

 **So how was that? I hope that first chapter wasn't too boring, and if I need to improve drastically on something do tell me nicely in the reviews. Thanks to the moon and back from reading this! :)**

 **~Pepper**


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